We have an interview with Ed Miliband in tomorrow’s Guardian and available to read online here. Speaking ahead of the closest election in a generation, the Labour leader attacks David Cameron for being reduced to arguing that “the key question facing the country is a battle of resources between London and Scotland”.

Evening summary

Nadia Khomami

This time next week we’ll know what the results of the general election are, and, if today’s to-ing and fro-ing is anything to go by, it’s not going to be smooth sailing. After last night’s ask the leaders edition of BBC Question Time, party leaders battled it out to see who dismiss the other quicker while simultaneously trying to present themselves as the only viable option for Britain. Here’s everything that happened today.

The big picture

Ed Miliband spoke at a rally in Glasgow tonight, where he urged voters not to “gamble” on the SNP and insisted his opposition to doing a post-election deal with Nicola Sturgeon’s party is a matter of principle. He said Labour could not “do a deal with a party that wants to break up the UK when we want to build it up”. He also refused to accept Nicola Sturgeon’s claim that Labour’s failure to work with the SNP would result in David Cameron winning a second term as prime minister, and said the only thing the SNP wants is another independence referendum.

If we set England against Scotland, if we set any part of our country against another, it does not help working people, it harms working people.

It undermines the ability to share resources. It drives down wages and conditions in the race to the bottom.

Nationalism doesn’t understand we are stronger, not weaker, when we look after each other across the whole of our country.

Nationalism never built a school. It never lifted people out of poverty. It never created a welfare state that healed the sick and protected our most vulnerable. Nationalism cannot create the jobs we need.

It was an impassioned and rising speech from Miliband in a region where Labour is on course to be completely wiped out. Whether it will be enough to win back some support from the nationalists is unclear – only time will tell. Either way, Scotland is looking like the key battleground in this final week of election campaigning.

Laugh of the day

Hero of the day

Villain of the day

Jack Sen, UKIP’s parliamentary candidate for West Lancashire,who was suspended after claiming that other governments have ignored “the ethnic cleansing” of people of European descent in South Africa.

That’s it from me today. Join me again tomorrow morning for the first day of the final weekend of the general election campaign, as I bring you all the news, reaction, fall-out, pictures and sometimes even, jokes from the trail. I think it’s safe to say it’s not going to be a relaxing weekend for politicians. Or for us, who continue to keep a watchful eye on them.

Occupy Democracy protesters have gathered in London’s Parliament Square in a bid to concentrate the minds of voters ahead of polling day, and plan to remain there if there is a hung parliament.

A man wears a hat covered with pin badges during a small protest organised by the Occupy movement in Parliament Square, London. Photograph: Lauren Hurley/PA

The Festival of Democracy began this afternoon, hosting a series of workshops, discussions, and will even include the occupying of statues on Parliament Square.

Organiser George Barda said the protesters hope to stay in the heart of Westminster beyond election day, as there may be some: “political horse trading” if there is a minority government, and said that they hope to show that people of various interests need to be represented in politics.